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By far the worst disaster we’ve ever experienced’: Powerful Typhoon Kalmaegi strikes the Philippines
More than 150,000 people have been evacuated, homes swept away, streets flooded — the powerful and deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in the Philippines late Monday, leaving destruction across regions already battered by previous storms. At least two people have been killed, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Winds up to 205 km/h
The typhoon, packing sustained winds of 150 km/h (93 mph) and gusts reaching 205 km/h (127 mph), first made landfall around 11 p.m. local time (3 p.m. GMT) in the Dinagat Islands province, part of the Visayas archipelago in the country’s east, according to the national weather service.
“By far the worst disaster we’ve ever known”
An hour earlier in Dinagat, Miriam Vargas, 34, sat in the dark with her two children after power was cut.
“Right now, there are heavy rains and strong winds. We’re sitting on the stairs praying and trying to gauge the strength of the typhoon,”
she told AFP.
In Cebu City, resident Don del Rosario described rapidly rising floodwaters that forced him to flee to the upper floor of his home:
“From what I’ve been told, the flooding began around 3 a.m. By 4 a.m., it was already out of control — people couldn’t leave their houses. I’ve lived here for 28 years, and this is by far the worst disaster we’ve ever experienced.”
Thousands sheltered behind flood barriers
Between 10,000 and 15,000 people were evacuated in the Dinagat Islands, Governor Nilo Demerey said. Local disaster official Joy Conales added that residents of Loreto had been told to move to higher ground; the town’s one-story seawall was designed to shield its downtown from storm surges.
Further north in Leyte province, disaster officer Roel Montesa said evacuations were underway in Palo and Tanauan, two towns with a combined population of 140,000. Both were devastated in 2013 by Super Typhoon Haiyan, which killed at least 6,000 people.
Thousands more were moved to safety on Samar Island, where waves up to three meters (10 feet) were expected.
“Some local governments are resorting to forced evacuations,”
said civil defense official Randy Nicart.
156,000 people evacuated
As of 8 p.m. Monday, around 156,000 people had been preemptively evacuated, said Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator of the national civil defense office.
Every year, about 20 typhoons and tropical storms hit or pass near the Philippines — one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations — with its poorest regions suffering the most damage.
Meteorologist Charmaine Varilla told AFP that three to five more storms could still hit the country before the end of the year.
In September, the Philippines was struck by the deadly Tropical Storm Bualoi and Typhoon Ragasa. Experts warn that climate change is intensifying extreme weather events, making them more frequent and more destructive.
